Anodos

No doubt these boots are comfortable, warm, and well-built. The built in snow gaiter is a cool idea, although unnecessary if you're going to be wearing gaiters anyway (which I definitely would be if I'm traipsing around in deep snow for a while).

I didn't end up keeping mine though because if some real shortcomings in practicality regarding some of the boot's features. Firstly, the "achilles strap" doesn't do much of anything. Secondly, the lacing is a pain. It's really difficult to get the lower part of the lacing to stay as tight as you'd want it to be once you start moving up the lacing. I found myself having to retighten from the bottom to the top several times and even then it wasn't where I'd like it to be (especially in the area that would keep the heal secure). Boots with quick lacing hooks would be much more practical.

Those I see to be shortcomings with the boot itself, but my last reason for not keeping them was that the liner doesn't come out. Sure, that doesn't mean that the boot is inadequate as there are plenty of good boots with built-in insulation, but I'm of the belief now that if you're going to camp in the winter especially, it'd be really nice to have your boot liners in your sleeping bag staying warm so that when you get out of your bag in the morning you're not stepping into blocks of ice. Plus, if your boots happen to get wet on the inside, a removable liner will help them dry out much faster.

Bottom line, while these might be great for shoveling the walk way, building snow men, or working outside in the cold, there are better options if you're going to be camping in the winter, hiking, or snowshoeing.

As these are the boots that outdoor stores and customers rave about, I bought a pair in 2010 and put a year of hard use in the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania hiking on and off trail as well as working and hunting in them. While they were a lot nicer than the Danners I had before, after one year of use the stitching on the seams on the inside of the boots broke and I returned them. For the price and reputation, I expected these to last much more than a year.

The Good: Good tread and shock absorption design. Good quality leather uppers, totally waterproof. With replacement inserts, these were quite comfortable.

The Not-So-Good: Lateral support in these was less than stellar, resulting in my ankles rolling many times over my year of using these. Not what you should expect from a mid-height, "No Messing Around" boot designed to carry "heavy loads with ease."

On the inside of the boot, there are two seams that will rub on anything that slides up your boot (mostly rocks around here). This would be minimized by staying on trails, but really, if you're investing in "serious footwear" you're probably not staying on the trail, so you're likely to run into the same problem I had. I replaced these with boots that had minimal exposed seams and a rubber rand going around the whole lower edge of the foot (and much better lateral support).

Bottom Line: If you're really going for serious footwear for serious backpacking, there are a lot of better options for the same price range. It would be wise to hold features, design, and quality in higher regard in your decision making process than reviews.

I went for these boots because I was looking for a boot with a full rubber rand, high shaft (to protect mainly from water entering over the top but also for ankle support), and sturdy, simple construction for hiking on rough terrain. Unfortunately, I sent the boots back.

The Good: Light weight for this kind of boot, good materials, good design. I like that the last quick loop on the lacing is really tight so you can get your foot lacing tension figured out and then adjust the ankle without the foot changing. Smart. I also appreciated that the Gore-Tex sign on these boots is a cloth tab and not a metal stud imbedded in the leather. The metal studs always get bent or pulled out, in my experience.

The Not-So-Good: Some minor things I didn't like were that the rubber and is actually two pieces meeting together on the sides. If that seem rubs on rocks and stuff while hiking I'd be money it'd start to separate there. This would of course be easily fixable with some shoe-goo, but it's just one point of a general lack of quality in the build. I compared these to my Zamberlan 1006's, and for being in the same price range, the build quality of the Asolo's was noticeably less. When you put your foot into the Zamberlan, it feels like a tub of butter that's been formed to your foot. Not so with the Asolo's. Now, everyone's foot is different, but I'm talking more in terms of a quality of construction and internal materials that amounts to the boot feeling less comfortable and cheap. The killer for me though was the tongue. When you lace the tongue down, the (hard) sides of it end up much farther back along the sides of the ankle than other boots I've seen. This might be ok for some people, but for me I had raw ankles and feet after walking in them for a day. There was also a lot of extra material in the tongue gusset, which makes for a rather sloppy closure around the laces that doesn't measure up to the quality these should.

I generally hate it when people write reviews about boots without having used them for a long time (long past break-in), but in the case of these I think it's worth noting even without fully breaking them in that if you're looking for a heavy duty, high-shaft backpacking boot in the ~$300 price range that there are far better options out there.

Just as one minor addition as well, I was kind of annoyed to see that the back of the top of the shaft swoops down in a rather steep U shape, making the lowest point on the shaft to be not much higher than a standard mid-height hiker (for consideration of water pouring in if it's too high). These definitely provide intense ankle support, but their height wouldn't provide much wading benefit.

The moral of the story: If you're ok spending $260 (on sale) for boots, you'd probably be best investing in another boot. If Asolo just happens to be the brand of boot that fits you best out of any others and you want to go as light weight as possible for a boot of this kind, knock yourself out.

Nice knife for what it is, but the blade sticks out far from the handle in width (takes up more space in pocket) and the clip bends out easily making it loose (and very losable). Had mine for about three days before the pocket clip bent out and I dropped it hiking without realizing it. My buddy bought one too and the pocket clip got caught on the frame of his truck as he was getting out one day and the pocket clip broke off. Lots of better knives out there for the price.

Unfortunately I have to return my second pair of H2's within a year due to the stitching coming out over the suede patch on the heals. I'm extremely disappointed because otherwise I like the sandals a lot, as they're really comfortable and practical in design. But if the stitching can't hold up to at least a year of active outdoor use then it's not worth my time or money. My first pair was last year's model and the stitching came out after about 6 months, whereas the new pair that came in the mail last month had the same problem after a month. It doesn't appear that Keen is making these any tougher.

I got this jacket as an alternative to the Nitrous jacket. The Nitrous was cool, but not for people with short torsos or people who might wear the jacket without a shell over it. The Compressor fits people of a shorter torso very well and provides shocking warmth for being so light. If I'm active and wearing this under a shell I can be toasty warm in temperatures that would otherwise require my Sub Zero SL jacket to keep me comfortable sitting still. It's also comforting to know that if I were to get wet in this thing I'll still be insulated. I'll take that assurance over a few saved ounces and compressibility of a down sweater.I'd love to see this thing come with a napoleon pocket and stuff sack, though. It does have an internal breast pocket, but it's a pain to unzip the jacket (let cold in) to get something out of that pocket. This kind of compresses into its own hand pocket, but buying a stuff sack would be wiser as to not wreck your zipper or pocket stitching. Still 5 stars, IMO.As you can see from the picture the "Jungle" color isn't super loud in some light. Under indoor lamps it is, but it's not weird enough for me to exchange it.

This is a very warm, very functional mid-layer. With a base layer worn under it and a vest or shell over it I can be comfortable down into the 30's easily. I love the versatility of the reversibility.

My reason for keeping it at 4 instead of 5 stars is the smooth side of this shirt pills pretty easily. I guess that's kind of the nature of the fabric, but it's kind of frustrating to me if I want to wear smooth side out and I've got bumpy areas on it. To echo what other reviews have mentioned as well, the thumb holes make the sleeves kind of drafty if you're not using them or if you're using this shirt as a heavy base layer. It's not too big a deal, but it would've been nice if the thumb holes were a little closer to the end of the sleeve. The zipper also comes unzipped pretty easily. Although I still really like this shirt and am glad to have it in the arsenal, it falls slightly short of 5 stars.

Update: While I'm not disappointed I have this, I must add that I highly recommend the MHW Microgrid Zip T over this. Much tougher material, no breezy sleeves, napoleon pocket.

I just returned these because even though the inseam reported by MH is right, the distance from the crotch to the waist is about a foot and half. To make these pants fit right the waist comes up to mid-rib cage. If I wear these with the elastic waist band at my waist the crotch comes to about my knees. The construction seems pretty solid otherwise, and I'm sure if you're used to wearing baggy pants these might be adequate. However, if you're looking for a heavy weight fleece pant to wear under a shell these will probably not have the right fit for that.

I wore these every day as a wilderness adventure camp leader in '09. They do the trick, but I was frustrated by the sizing and built-in belt. I have a 32" waist and ordered the medium, and found that it was constantly bunching up in the front as the difference between 32" and 34" is pretty substantial when it comes to the waist on pants (both of which are considered acceptable in the sizing chart as "medium"). Also, maybe as a result of the waist being too big for 32", the built in belt constantly gets twisted. I really wish they included belt loops on the outside for wearers to choose which they like. I understand the idea behind the internal belt and the conical waist or whatever they call it, but practically I like my "normal" waist pants better than these. Also, after a season of constant wear the elastic drawstring in the ankles wore through the fabric. I know light weight fabric is popular for summer, but I would prefer a more durable build. If you're only going to wear these from time to time you should be set but if you need "pants of power" (as I call them), you may want the Matterhorns.